Next Life
by MidnightMoonraider
Summary: "You know, if you really wanna be a hero that badly, there actually might be another way. Just pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life. Then take a swan dive of the roof of the building." "Oh, okay" he whispered. One shot.


I understand Katsuki is a little ooc, but i took this more as a story about two fifteen year old boys way out of their depth. They're young and scared, of course they'll be ooc.

this is my first story. no beta. sorry for mistakes. im also learning how to post things so bare with me.

Next Life

Society isn't kind to the different. When quirks first started emerging; those people were the ones harrassed, bullied, beaten, abused, and isolated. Now though it's all different. The stronger or flashier someone's quirk is the higher society views them. If a person doesn't have a quirk their defective, useless, unwanted.

Izuku's life was normal, happy even, until the age four. Once he turned four a weird tension grew in the household of three. Young Izuku didn't have the capability to understand at such a young age that he was different yet. As weeks and months came and past after his fourth birthday the tension turned to anger. Izuku's father started lashing out, this was not the life he wanted when he married Inko. He didn't want a quirkless reject. Inko was living in denial. She refused to take him to the doctor to confirm or deny his status. Their arguments grew to hate and Izuku's father left for the United States, abandoning Inko and their child soon to be five.

Inko couldn't lie to herself or Izuku anymore once his fifth birthday came and past. Izuku would be starting school soon, his quirk needed to be registered as accurately as possible. Izuku's world was irrevocably changed when his doctor callously told the recent family of two that he had an extra joint in his pinky toe. Izuku was officially quirkless. That night poor Izuku played videos of his favorite superhero All Might the number one hero. When Inko went in to check on him for the night she found her son wide eyed staring at the computer screen, tears free falling down his face. When he asked his mother if he could still be a hero, Inko simply whispered a broken, "I'm sorry," and walked away from Izuku. Shutting the door behind her with a foreboding thud.

Izuku's life was very lonely after that doctors appointment. Inko didn't acknowledge Izuku existed. At first Izuku was crushed, he somehow made his mommy mad. So he tried and tried to make her happy. When he started school, he always used his recess time to make her "I love you" cards or "You're the best mommy ever" stickers, but she always looked at them with a blank look and simply threw them away without speaking. So he tried cleaning the house for her, because his mommy worked so hard all the time. That must be why she's always too tired to talk to him, young Izuku tried to rationalize to himself. He spent weeks sweeping, mopping, dusting, doing dishes and laundry, all for Inko to continue as she had been. Izuku wouldn't give up just yet though. He had noticed that his mommy stopped cooking or leaving out food for him after the doctor. He was really hungry until he started school where he got lunches. He thought maybe that was why his mommy was so tired, she was really hungry too. So, Izuku, instead of eating his lunch would bring it home for his mommy to eat after she got off work. She never ate it though. After a few days Izuku was so sad to see all his lunches in the trash, he was really hungry again too, so maybe he could just eat his own lunches and his mommy can eat her lunches at work. Inko hadn't said anything to Izuku the few days following when he stopped bringing his lunches home so he figured it was okay. Izuku even tried to go over to Aunti Bakugo's house to see is she knew why his mommy was sad, but he got stopped by Katsuki first. Katsuki told him that his Aunti Bakugo didn't want him hanging around and to get lost. Little Izuku, lonely and hurting, was left without anyone to care about him. He held onto his dream though, he would be a hero! He would be just like All Might, then his mommy would be happy again and his daddy could come home.

As Izuku aged he didn't grow much. The school lunches were enough to keep him growing until he was around ten or eleven years old. Unfortunately, Izuku didn't know that he needed more than just enough to live, so he never got much taller than five feet. Topping out around five feet two inches (157.5cm). He started weeding people's gardens, and mowing their lawns to buy his own clothes and supplement his loss of food during the holidays. Inko never acknowledged him unless she needed to register him for the new school year, even then she didn't speak or look at him, just simply tolerated being in the same room as him. Izuku was used to it at that point in life though, the only person who acknowledged he was alive was Katsuki. Even if it was to be nasty to him, at least Izuku wasn't invisible to him. Izuku started to show the stress of his hard life around age eleven. He started thinning out even more, his eyes grew distant and sad. Thankfully he never got sick, as he doubted Inko would've taken him to get treated. Izuku carried on with his exhausting life, all the while keeping his dream to one day become a hero. He knew he was a useless quirkless Deku, but he also knew he was very good at analyzing heroes and villains. Back before quirks became so normal people were heroes without them, so what was stopping him. Izuku held onto this belief so stubbornly, because it was all he had left.

He was fifteen now, it was two weeks until the summer holidays before he was due to enter high school. Life had not been kind to Izuku thus far, and it showed. If anyone were to catch a glimpse of him without his uniform jacket on they would notice his waist is too slim, his ribs poke out too much, his hips and collar bones look like they're jutting out of his body, and his arms and legs look so small and fragile that a good bump could snap them. He also has a mass of burns, scrapes, cuts, and bruises from Katsuki being his aggressive self. He doesn't mind all that much, at least someone acknowledges he exists. Of course it hurts, and he would much rather have a nice friend, but this is what he deserves. Someone as stupid and useless as quirkless Deku doesn't deserve to be happy. It's his fault anyway, if he wasn't quirkless Inko wouldn't be so burdened. Katsuki would still be his best friend like they were when they were children. It's his fault. He still kept pushing to be a hero though; maybe he could use it as a way to apologize to his mother and old best friend. Maybe, even without a quirk, if he became a hero, he could be happy again.

'No,' Izuku's mind rebels. He doesn't deserve to be happy. He isn't important enough to be happy. He just has to do this for his mom and Katsuki. A commotion a few blocks down grabs Izuku's attention. People are screaming and sirens can be heard in the distance. He looks at his watch and realizes he has a few minutes to spare before school and can watch must be heroes fighting villans for a small time.

Izuku had a small upturn of his lips all day at school; he got to see Mt. Lady premier this morning. "She has a very versatile quick, but she'll have to watch out for property damage," Izuku mumbles to himself in class. The teachers have given up at this point. End of the year exams were finished, and all of the students were moving onto different high schools anyway. Izuku sent off his papers to receive his application spot for the most prestigious hero training high school in Japan, UA high, and had received the application in the mail already. His teacher unfortunately didn't know that Izuku didn't want that information public knowledge quite yet. After Katsuki announced that he was going to be the best hero by going to UA; Izuku's teacher brought all of the attention on him by telling the class his plans. Katsuki was not happy, he was ready to combust in his anger. Soon the bell was ringing to signal the end of the school day. Izuku never packed up fast, there was no need. His mother wasn't worried about his location ever, no one bothered him anymore other than Katsuki, and he finished all of the lawns and gardens he normally took care of for the week yesterday. Just as he was about to pack up his 'hero analysis' notebook it was snatched out of his hands roughly. Izuku snapped his head up as fast as his sluggishly tired body could muster and his eyes widened upon seeing Katsuki standing in front of him looking livid. Izuku tried to pay attention to his only friends words, he really did, but he was so focused on his notebook that he missed most of what Katsuki was saying. Unfortunately, Katsuki noticed this as well.

"Pay attention to me you fucking Deku! You're not going into UA you hear me! You're not even going to apply!" He raged, then blew up Izuku's note book and sent it sailing out of the open window. Izuku ran to the window to see where his notebook landed and to see if any major damage was do to it, that was the only thing he was good at, the only thing he was good for! Izuku was roughly jerked away from the window and roughly held up by his collar, Katsuki snarling in his face. "Listen to me, I'm going to be the only one from this run down school to apply. I'm going to be the only one from this no name school to get into UA. I'll get noticed then, with an amazing quirk like mine. And I won't have you applying and ruining everything for me! You're fucking useless quirkless Deku. How could you think you'd get in anyway. No one wants you!" Katsuki screamed in his face. Over the years Izuku has heard every variation of this possible, except the last part. He held on that maybe, just maybe, Katsuki cared just a little. That Izuku maybe meant even the smallest amount of something to someone, but Katsuki doesn't want him at all. No one wants him. It's the truth. Who would want some useless quirkless kid?

Katsuki didn't notice the small shift in Izuku's eyes then. Before, they held a tired weariness but a small bit of determination, now though, they were dull, lifeless. "You know, if you really wanna be a hero that badly, there actually might be another way. Just pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life. Then take a swan dive off the roof of the building," he mocked. Katsuki dropped Izuku and started walking away, just barely hearing the faint "oh, okay" coming from Izuku. Katsuki whirled around with a sneer on his face and glared at Izuku, ready to snap at him for daring to tall back. He simply stared back, face ashen slowly blinking at Katsuki.

"Would you like my hero analysis notebooks? They might come in handy one day for you," Izuku asked with hardly any inflection in his voice. Katsuki stopped short. Izuku practically gave birth to those notebooks, why would he want to give them away? Katsuki took a step forward and Izuku didn't even flinch like normal, he just gave another slow blink, like is was so terribly difficult to be there in that moment.

"Why the hell would I want your stupid little fanboy books. I don't need your help to be the best! I already am the best! What do you think you're better than me?!" Katsuki raged, entirely confused. Why would Izuku offer up his books? Does he have copies? Does he really think Katsuki needed help, or was he still trying to be friends?

"Okay, well would you be alright with burning them? There is a lot of information in them that could hurt the heroes. If Inko throws them away and they end up in the wrong hands it could hurt a lot of people," Izuku followed up, not answering any of Katsuki's questions. Katsuki was floored. What was Izuku saying, burn the books?

"I don't understand Deku, what are you trying to say?" Katsuki asked aggressively. Not so much at Izuku anymore but at his own confusion. "Why don't you want or need your books anymore? Why did you call Aunti Midoriya by her first name? You're not making any sense." Instead of answering Izuku silently walked past Katsuki, out of the hallway and to the stairwell. Katsuki finally started getting a bad feeling about the situation. Something was wrong. "Shitty Deku! Don't ignore me! What the fuck do you mean? Why are you walking upstairs? It's time to go home and your stupid hero book is outside on the ground." Katsuki followed Izuku up the stairs. His heart and stomach staying, dropping further and further down. He gripped a hold of Izuku's wrist and jerked him around. "What the hell is your problem Deku!" His voice nearly broke from either hysteria or anger he couldn't tell at this point. Izuku's wrist is too small, something's not right.

"Please, let me go. I'm tired. I'm just going to sit up on the roof for a little while. I like to watch the sky. It's beautiful up there when the sun sets. So peaceful. I like to listen to the birds sing. They help me feel not so alone sometimes." Katsuki thinks why birds would have to help him? "I watch families walk by going to and from the park too. I like to remember when we used to play together and Inko would make us oden. I don't remember what oden tastes like anymore; I haven't had it in so long." There Deku goes again, calling Aunti Midoriya Inko again. Also, didn't she just come over last week with some left over oden? Something isn't right, why wouldn't he be able to remember what oden tastes like a week after he's had it? "I miss being young Katsuki, I miss the times before our quirks developed. You were my only friend, the only one living being who noticed me." That was oddly specific. Why only one living being? Something really isn't right, and Katsuki has a damn good idea what was happening. "Thank you. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow in class alright? Will you grab that notebook for me on the way home? And, don't forget the others, they're all in my room okay. I'm sure Inko won't mind you getting them. Good bye Kacchan, I'll see you." That's it, the final warning bell is blaring in his head. Katsuki feels faint. What the fuck. What the fuck! He hasn't called Katsuki, Kacchan, in years. This can't be happening. Deku wouldn't seriously do that would he? Deku wouldn't kill himself just because he told him to right? Why now? What is happening? What the fuck? What the fuck?! Izuku lightly slipped his wrist out of Katsuki's grip while he was putting all of the pieces together and kept walking up the stairs. Katsuki snapped out of his denial induced haze at the sound of a door opening and closing. Starting in a panic when he realized Izuku wasn't by him anymore he raced up the last flight of stairs and out the door leading to the roof.

"IZUKU! Get over here! Don't you fucking dare give up now!" Katsuki stomped over to Izuku who jumped slightly when the door slammed open from where he was neatly placing his shoes off to one side. Katsuki again gripped a hold of Izuku's wrist and yanked him away from the edge. "What the fuck do you think you're doing! What are you trying to do right now! What about your mother?! What about..." he trailed off. He couldn't think of another person who would miss Izuku. Because he definitely wouldn't. Absolutely not.

"Please, let me go. Katsuki I'm tired. Inko won't care. I promise. I can finally stop being a burden to you. Please, let me go." Izuku said brokenly, then whispered, "It's okay. No one knows my name except you, please, please, just let me go." Tears started forming in his eyes. Katsuki stared on wide eyed.

"What do you mean Aunt Midoriya won't care? What do you mean no one knows who you are?" Katsuki demanded weakly. Izuku didn't answer, just kept begging to be let go. "Please Please, I'm so tired, let me go, please." Katsuki roughly grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "WHAT do you mean!?" he yelled. Izuku looked up at Katsuki, and in that moment Katsuki noticed what Izuku looked like. Black sunken eyelids, dry limp hair, too short frame, no muscle, gaunt cheeks, thread bare clothes, sickly pale pallor, and dead defeated eyes. Katsuki couldn't swallow past the lump in his throat. The terrible vision of his once best friend going blurry with tears. "What happened to you?" He whispered. Izuku just stared with tears of defeat carving canyons through his skin. Katsuki didn't look away, terrified that if he didn't somehow Izuku would get free and jump. His heart and stomach finally managed to catch up from where he left them in the class room. Now his stomach was trying to crawl it's way out of his throat and his heart to beat out of his chest.

"I'm broken Kacchan. I'm useless, worthless, unloveable, quirkless, stupid, shitty Deku. Inko hasn't spoken to me since I was five I think. I'm starving all the time, the school lunches only go so far. I'm lonely. I'm tired. I'm... I... I'm just tired Kacchan. Please, I know you hate me. I know I was just a burden all this time. I know no one wants me. I know I'm absolutely worthless. I'm just some quirkless Deku. So please, just let me go." Izuku was openly sobbing now, his too tiny chest heaving with the effort of his sorrow. Katsuki wasn't far off either. Tears falling freely while he stared at the broken boy in front of him. Katsuki didn't know what to do. The only thing he could thing of was taking everything one by one.

"Take off your shirt Izuku," he commanded as gently as he would. which admittedly wasn't gentle at all. Izuku started then deflated, all of the fight had left him. He raised a shaky hand to undo his tie then buttons. Katsuki wasn't sure if he was shaking from emotions or fatigue. Katsuki thought he was going to be sick. He had never seen something so horrific. Izuku looked like a walking corpse. Trying to find anything to focus on other than his stomach he scratched out, "When is the last time you've eaten a full meal?" His heart plummeted when Izuku just shook his head and shrugged looking down like he was ashamed. Katsuki started getting mad again, because it is what he was used to. It's an emotion he knows how to handle. "When is the last time Inko talked to you?" Izuku again refused to verbally answer, instead just shaking his head no, tears still streaming. Katsuki almost growled before catching himself. He was scared to do anything else to Izuku, hell he had practically just killed him. Izuku would be dead right now because of him. "Five, you said five years old right? That's the last time she talked to you. I'm guessing that's the last time she fed you too?" Izuku flinched and almost unnoticeably nodded. Katsuki was seething, ten years. Ten years! Izuku was struggling to survive. He was pissed, at himself, at Inko, his mother, the school staff, neighbors, doctors, everyone! How had everyone missed this. "Does she hit you?" He demanded. He needed an answer to this. Izuku just blankly stared at the ground and shook his head. "I need a verbal answer, did she ever hit you?"

"No, she couldn't even look at me," Izuku answered looking up at Katsuki with such a defeated expression Katsuki also broke. Katsuki remembered just then that Izuku was a clingy child. He loved affection. Katsuki wondered when the last time Izuku had been shown a kind face or gesture, and felt a wave of shame wash over him so harshly his head throbbed. He took his school jacket off and wrapped it around Izuku bringing him into a hug and pulling them down to lean against the wall holding the door. Izuku tensed for a full minute, so taunt Katsuki was afraid his muscles would snap, then the flood gates fell. Izuku sobbed openly and brokenly. Keening, whimpering, choking on breaths. He was crying so hard he was coughing and almost hyperventilating in his distress. He clung to Katsuki like he was the only anchor in a tsunami; while his body was wracked with sobs so strong they jarred the shameful boy. Katsuki rubbed Izuku's back and rocked back and forth, completely out of his depth, but willing to try anything for Izuku in this moment. He was crying along with Izuku, not as hard, but crying for all the pain he caused, the almost death, not noticing, being the villain, being out of his depth, being scared. They were only fifteen. They weren't supposed to go through stuff like this. This was the stuff adults were supposed to take care of. The adults were supposed to make sure Izuku was fed, being looked after, being loved. It's not all the adults fault though, he realized. He tormented Izuku for years, never let him have reprieve. He couldn't be that person anymore. He almost killed someone.

Katsuki sat on that rooftop for hours holding and rocking Izuku, even after he cried himself to sleep. Eventually the sun set and Katsuki stopped rocking, sitting and holding the too young looking Izuku. Katsuki fell into his own mind, replaying scenarios where he was too late. When he never realized and Izuku's body landed next to his on the sidewalk as he was leaving school. Where Izuku dropped dead one day from starvation or sickness. Where he went missing and no one noticed because no one cared. Hundreds of images of Izuku's death running through his head, and none of them where Katsuki saves him. It's nearing three am when Katsuki's eyes finally droop closed and he slumps over the still asleep Izuku curled in his lap.

An exhausted sign huffed out of a man's lips. Finally. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the most recent number in his call log; the phone rang four times before an irate woman answered the phone with a screeched, "Do you know what time it is!? You better have a damn good reason for calling this late!"

"Mrs. Bakugo, I have found your son. I would like to take him back to my apartment for the night as it is closer and I would like to talk with him tomorrow about this. Would that be acceptable?"

"Yeah sure whatever. If the brat wants to stay out all night he can stay gone all day too." Another sigh followed the dial tone after the woman hung up the phone. He muttered lovely while standing and stretching out his stiff muscles. The coincidences that night were odd, but he was thankful for them. He had just started his patrol when a slamming door followed by screaming earlier in the afternoon snagged his attention. After observing the situation for a few minutes he was about to gather what was happening. He hung back though, wanting to see what the outcome would be, ready to spring in if the green haired kid made a run for it. Hearing about the neglect and seeing it were two distinctly different things to him. His blood boiled when the small child too his shirt off. It was heartbreaking that a child should go through something so horrid simply because he was a little different. Once all of the details were said and the child broke into heavy sobs his grudging decision was made. This kid couldn't go back to the house he was current at. He would adopt the kid if need be. Around nine pm a call was placed out for a missing kid along with a photo. Glancing at the photo he saw the same kid currently holding the small green haired boy and accepted the case. He saw how strung out both boys were; he would wait until both were asleep then transport them in for the night. He just didn't expect the blond to keep such a vigilant watch after crying so hard with the green haired boy. No matter, he can just let them both sleep in tomorrow morning with some trip alarms set around them.

He hopped the few building over form where he was hiding to the two boys. He grabbed the red shoes and stuffed them in his bag next to a notebook that said 'hero analysis for the future.' Then he unwrapped his capture scarf and gently picked the two boys up. "It'll be okay eventually. One day it'll get better," he whispered to them. They clung to each other the entire way to the man's apartment; refusing to release their grasps. Maybe, they actually would be okay.


End file.
